In Good Taste

Chef Spotlight

Chef J.J. Johnson

or Harlem-based celebrity chef J.J. Johnson, food is a language that can break down barriers. Johnson is a James Beard-nominated chef best known for his Pan- African/ Caribbean culinary style and for his ability to transform simple cuisine with bold flavors and unexpected ingredients. In 2018, Johnson–who grew up watching his mother’s Puerto Rican grandmother cook–published his first cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven. He believed the book reflected the trend toward young Americans who grew up around other cultures cooking their own heritage. “There’s truly something for everybody, and the headnotes make you feel like I am in the kitchen with you,” Johnson said of the recipes from the culinary melting pot of Africans, Asians, West Indians and other cultures. And now–in addition to his Manhattan eatery, Johnson has his own show on Cleo TV, TV One’s aspirational lifestyle and entertainment network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color. The show, Just Eats with Chef JJ, is set in a hip New York City loft, where Johnson prepares meals from his kitchen and entertains his celebrity friends. Each episode features notable special guests including TV personality Yandy Smith, actor Laz Alonso, singer Kimberly Locke, actress Naturi Naughton, rapper and activist Tamika Mallory among others. Favorite recipes include Biscuit Sammys, Egg Rice, Brown Paper Bag Fried Chicken, and Collard Green Salad. He shared the following recipe for Short Rib Pie on the Today Show.

Coconut oil 3 lbs boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2inch pieces 1. Set a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of coconut oil. Season ribs with salt and sear on all sides until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. 2. Add onions. Sauté until golden brown, remove to same bowl. Reheat, add garlic and scallions and cook a few more minutes until soft. 3. Add turmeric and curry powder and stir together. Then add tomato paste and let fry slightly with other ingredients, stir to combine. 4. Add red wine and bring up to a simmer, scraping the pan of any bits and reduce by half. Return the short ribs and their juices back into the pot along with beef stock and 2 cups of water and bring up to a low simmer. 5. Cook covered for 3 hours or until meat is tender and sauce is a slightly thickened. Then stir in onions, parsley and thyme; take off heat to cool slightly. 6. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place 1 prepared pie crust into a 2-quart pie dish. Pour cooled filling into the dish and cover with the second pie crust. Crimp edges from both layers of dough together to seal the pie. Make 3 small slits in the top crust.Brush the top with the egg yolk and oil mixture. Bake for about 1 hour or until crust is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes. Kosher salt 10 pearl onions, peeled and halved 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 scallions, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons curry powder 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 cups dry red wine 4 cups low-sodium beef stock 2 tablespoons chopped thyme 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp coconut oil 2 pie crusts, homemade or store-bought Ingredients:

Directions: F

SavingGrace

While many folks on Broadway and in Hollywood worked long and hard in search of their big break, actor Harry Lennix who currently stars on NBC’s The Blacklist, says acting as a profession came searching for him.

Remembered by moviegoers for his breakout role as

Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film, The Five Heartbeats (1991), Lennix’s trajectory in film and television has held to a gradual and steady rise, and he credits dedication to his race, his faith, and the courage to say “no" for sustaining a near 40year acting career.

“I had every intention of becoming a priest,” say

Lennix of his childhood dreams. “I even had ambitions to become the Pope.”

Performing on stage began at Archbishop Quigley

Preparatory Seminary—a school for young men considering the priesthood—where Lennix got involved in plays because he felt, “I was doing something that came more or less natural to me.”

When a couple of professional actors saw him in a live school production, they approached him afterwards with affirming compliments and encouraged him to give the performing arts serious consideration.

“I didn’t see myself as doing anything all that special,”

Lennix describes of his teen acting abilities. “I had a precocious talent. I kept getting parts in productions and people thought I was good at it.”

Lennix, who studied acting at Northwestern University, found it increasingly easy to get cast in various productions on campus. Almost overnight, he landed his first role on the silver screen playing an inmate in

Bad Boys (1983) which starred Sean Penn. Since then, the acting gigs have continued to filter in.

From Spike Lee’s Get on the Bus (1996) to the award-winning Ray (2004), Lennix’s cinematic works are further accentuated by a comparable platform in television.

Over the years, he has played well in primetime line ups that include ER, The Practice, Judging Amy, among many hit shows.

Added to that, Lennix earned respect on the sitcom side of TV with roles i n The Parent 'Hood, Girlfriends, as well as Living Single.

“I’ve said no a lot in my career to roles that if I’d said yes to, I’d be on the A-list by now,” said Lennix to which he laughs, “I’m still trying to get to the B-list!”

A Chicago native who has witnessed and lived through many of the struggles and misconceptions that come with being African American, Lennix is meticulous about how his onscreen and onstage work represents the Black race.

“I tend not to [accept roles] that are unilateral and only show one side or are more stereotypical,” he says. “Unless there is some dimension that I can add to it or help the conversation around how did we (African Americans) wind up in the condition that we are in and what can we do to improve that condition? The extent to which I have control is dedicated to that cause.”

Having control of a career where heavy industry politics and temptation exist are some of the challenges Lennix admits he’s had to face from the outset of his profession. He sees the unwritten rules and codes that could lead to a defining or detrimental moment if he were not careful.

“There’s a lot of distractions out here,” says the husband of one wife (Djena Nichole Graves) since 2009. “All the glitter and the glam and all the things that could sidetrack me have always been a concern. If I had relaxed my code (of conduct) just a little I would probably have been further along (towards the A-list). There is an Islam saying, ‘The devil lies in the straight path’. Trying to walk that path you run into the typical trials and temptations, but thus far I am pretty happy and satisfied that most of the time I’ve made the right choice.”

Some of those choices are not always popular, but Lennix argues when it comes to values such as family and faith, he has drawn a very sacred line. The youngest of four siblings, Lennix prioritizes and relishes time with family, both immediate and extended. In fact, he says they are some of the biggest cheerleaders of his work even in the tough times.

“My wife will tell you there were times when it was touch and go, when we lived paycheck to paycheck or when there was no paycheck,” Lennix reflects. “She has been very patient and a great partner all along.” Although confirmed and rooted in the Catholic faith, Lennix is a devoted member of the Church of God in Christ. He credits Pastor Jeffery Martin Lewis of New Antioch COGIC in LA for supporting his spiritual growth and maturity. “He’s a great person to talk to and to keep me focused, and I am grateful for that,” says Lennix who had a divine encounter that persuaded him to gravitate to the COGIC expression.

“Even if I did [no professional acting], my faith in God would be sufficient and that is a great comfort to me,” he reasons. “I get a lot of push back from people who are closest to me. They know I need critical constructive engagement. In those moments I just remember the lessons and teachings of Christ.”

Lennix took his faith expression to the silver screen to produce and star in Revival (2018). He describes the film—based on the book of John—as “a love letter to Jesus using black gospel music.” With a major cast featuring Michelle Williams, Chaka Kahn, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Kenny Lattimore, Dawnn Lewis, and more, Lennix says this project that makes him very proud.

“We accomplished what took every dime I had and then some,” reports Lennix. “I went into great debt to do it. I think Gospel music is the most vibrant sacred music in the whole world. Music that I didn’t know existed as a boy because I grew up as a Catholic singing really corny-church-rock-songs.”

Offscreen, Lennix is equally passionate about the plight and experience of African Americans. He has taken personal interests in causes that he hopes will improve the wellbeing of the people in a community that’s suffered being overlooked and underserved.

In partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), Lennix has committed to serving as a celebrity ambassador to lend his voice to encourage men to know their prostate numbers and their risks. With one in six black men affected by prostate cancer and is the second leading cause of death among cancers, he urges men to take proactive measures to protect their health. “We need our men to be alive and healthy,” stresses Lennix. “We need their loved ones to tell them that their life is important, and they should be out here living productively for as long as possible. I’ve known people who have dealt with this and if we can make it better then we should.”

Another cause Lennix has taken on is back in his hometown. The Lillian Marcie Center for the Performing Arts—an effort local press calls the ‘Black version of Lincoln Center’—is a more than $80 million project slated to be an African American Museum of Performing Arts and a theater. Located on Chicago’s South side, the Center is designed to aid in the renaissance of the Bronzeville community and was recently granted $26 million in capital funding from the State of Illinois.

“I am just trying to synthesize stuff that was already there, and it worked,” explains Lennix of Chicago’s rich performing arts history. “I want to be a part of the team that preserves the places for people to go and see the culture that they created.”

Now in his ninth season as Harold Cooper, Assistant Director of Counter Terrorism for the FBI on The Blacklist, Lennix is humbled by the stable work and could boast of future opportunities headed his way. He contends however, “My real prize is something deeper than money or fame. But I want to be part of the fabric that will help to improve the lives of my people to live more richer, expressive, and more deeper lives.”

All the glitter and the glam and all the things that could sidetrack me have always been a concern. If I had relaxed my code (of conduct) just a little I would probably “ have been further along (towards the A-list). There is an Islam saying, ‘The devil lies in the straight path... ”

Harry Lennix